Sunday’s talk shows drew out lawmakers and administration officials on a range of topics, from Hillary Clinton’s email problems to the battle against the Islamic State extremist group. Here’s a roundup of the top quotes from the Sunday shows:

“There are gaps of months and months and months….We have no emails from that day…In fact, we have no emails from that trip.”

- Rep. Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.), chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” referring to the absence of emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private account while she was secretary of State, including a trip to the site of the Benghazi, Libya, attacks that killed four Americans. Read More »

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that he still sees a “dark vein” of intolerance in the Republican Party.

“I still see it in the Republican Party and I still see it in other parts of our country,” Mr. Powell, a Republican, said on ABC’s “This Week” while discussing racial attitudes in the U.S. “You don’t have to be a Republican…to be touched by this dark vein.”

Mr. Powell also said he was troubled by some states that he said are “trying to restrict voting” by imposing voter ID Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that he still sees a “dark vein” of intolerance in the Republican Party. “I still see it in the Republican Party and I still see it in other parts of our country,” Mr. Powell, a Republican, said on ABC’s “This Week” while discussing racial attitudes in the U.S.requirements, but he urged African Americans to try to meet the standards and vote out public officials who impose them. Read More »

Former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel for defense secretary.

Mr. Powell said that Mr. Hagel had a “very, very distinguished public service record” and that he would do a “great job” as defense secretary.

Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, has been attacked by other Republicans for being unsupportive of Israel and soft on Iran. Mr. Powell defended Mr. Hagel’s record on these and other issues and said he expected Mr. Hagel to offer a “very spirited defense” of his record in confirmation hearings… Read More »

Colin Powell, secretary of State under President George W. Bush, again broke with the Republican Party Thursday to endorse President Barack Obama for a second term.

“I voted for him in 2008, and I plan to stick with him in 2012,” Mr. Powell said Thursday in an interview with CBS’s “This Morning.” “I’ll be voting for him and for Vice President Joe Biden next month.”

Monica Langley writes in The Wall Street Journal that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has indicated she may be willing to stay in her job after President Obama’s first term – a signal of just how much the attack in Benghazi, Libya, has shaken her final days in the job. Ms. Langley writes that Mrs. Clinton’s “suggestion she might stay could offer a sense of stability for Barack Obama as he makes his closing arguments” since she appeals strongly to women voters.

In his United Nations speech Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a red line on an illustration of a bomb with a lit fuse, using the graphic to give an easy-to-understand picture of the threat he sees from Iran’s atomic program. It’s not the first time the United Nations has played host to dramatic use of props. Here’s a rundown. Read More »

White House spokesman Jay Carney said he hopes that retired Gen. Colin Powell will endorse Mr. Obama again, particularly because of his work on national security — in remarks that came after Mr. Powell demurred when asked on NBC’s “Today” show if he was ready to back a candidate. Mr. Powell, a Republican, backed Mr. Obama in 2008, calling him a “transformational” candidate.

Mr. Carney said the president appreciated Gen. Powell’s support four years earlier. He said, “It’s up to him and every American to decide whom they will support going forward,” adding: “In the national security realm, which has, I think, particular resonance with General Powell, the president’s record has been judged to be exemplary by outside observers and commentators.” Read More »

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Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.